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COMMERCIAL VEHICLE SHOW2019
There is little, if any, sign of pressure easing in logistics and
transportationmanagement. If anything, the issues continue to
mount. There was no evidence of the slowdown in ecommerce
that many were predicting in 2018; on the contrary, online
growth continued at record levels, leading many organisations
to reconsider the importance of reaching beyond traditional
strategies to enhance their logistics and transportation
capabilities. Meanwhile, the industry continues to battle issues
such as driver shortage, congestion, and legislative reporting
requirements.
In the face of such adversity, there is a new – if perhaps unlikely
hero: telematics technology. Already an integral part of fleet
management, telematics technology paired with advanced routing
systems can transform supply chain performance. Not only by
optimising delivery efficiency through intelligent routing, but also
through reduced mileage and fuel consumption which, in turn,
leads to a reduction in drivers’ hours per job, aswell as the necessary
vehicle maintenance and servicing required.
However, the real change lies in the convergence of telematics
systems and tachograph data. The addition of being able to
automatically send tachograph data via a telematics device means
that efficiencies can be achieved in gathering tachograph data to
manage drivers’ hours compliance. Operators today save 20-30
mins per vehicle per week in downloading tachograph data using
remote download devices and the same can be achieved by using
an installed telematics device for automated remote tachograph
downloads, improving fleet utilisation and ensuring compliance
with tachograph regulations. Plus, the burden of getting drivers
to come into a depot office to download their driver card data is
eliminated as it happens in the background to a set schedule as they
are driving. Whilst Vehicle Unit tachograph data is only required to
be downloaded every 90 days, there are clear advantages in doing
it more frequently to deal with any issues such as unaccounted
mileage. Similarly, Drivers’ Card data is only mandatory every
28 days, but the benefits of being able to detect and deal with
abnormalities or potential issues early are significant.
By using telematics technology to download vehicle unit
tachograph data on a weekly basis and driver card tachograph
data daily, operators will be able to deal with any issues and
infringements in a timely fashion before they become a bigger
problem. For example, as alluded, one of the biggest problems
is unaccounted distance. Is the distance simply accumulated by
the driver working his way around a large depot? Is it a result of
a maintenance engineer driving the vehicle to a service bay? Or
– more risky – is a driver not putting in his Driver’s card to extend
his hours? If the data is left unchecked for 90 days, this presents
a significant challenge for any transport operator to justify to the
DVSA.
On a more positive note, by further streamlining the process to
include vehicle walk-around safety checks combined with a smart
alerting function that can be tailored to an individual organisation’s
key trigger points, the historical manual processes associated with
logistics and transport management can be all but done away with.
Telematics and mobile data communications can now be utilised
to allow the fleet manager to know the status of a driver’s hours
compliance; know in advance when to book a vehicle in for
maintenance; and therefore plan the fleet accordingly. We can now
see all these aspects of fleet management from a single dashboard,
in a single integrated digital solution.
Fleet efficiency is becoming all the more difficult to maximise
without utilising advanced technology.
Telematics should no longer be seen as a standalone system but
a foundation to facilitate seamless exchange of digital data and
information. Using telematics devices to transmit tachograph
data further ensures improved levels of compliance and greater
efficiency in managing a compliant transport operation. This is
all to the ultimate benefit of the operators’ clients in delivering a
trusted, reliable, cost-effective and compliant service.
At the CV Show, 30th April – 2nd May, NEC Birmingham, Stand
5G110, Descartes will be unveiling its fully integrated, complete
range of Smart Compliance solutions.
The solution comprises:-
■■SmartCompliance™ - our Software-as-a-Service compliance
management solution for transport operators, comprising our
drivers’ licence validation suite SmartLicence; our vehicle walk-
around check app, SmartCheck and SmartAnalysis.
■■Descartes SmartAnalysis - the leading solution used by
thousands of road transport operators to manage and comply
with legislation concerning tachograph data, drivers’ hours and
the European UnionWorking Time Directive.
■■Smart Alerts - Automated email alerts to issues that need
immediate attention.
■■SmartDownload - automatic remote download of tachograph
data via the Descartes Telematics Hub.
One integrated package; one single system; one login; one complete
picture of all your compliance needs.
Putting Digital at the heart of
compliance management
Andrew Tavener, Head of Marketing for Descartes Systems UK Ltd